With Great Power Comes Great Possibilities

     Wikipedia has become a surprisingly successful development. Because anyone can post anything they would like regarding any subject, it is astonishing that we do not find as much garbage or false information as we would think. Although there are some people who want to ruin this valuable resource for us all, there are many more that want to prevent this from happening. This is easily handled because it takes much longer to create and post false facts than it does to delete that false information. Regular users are looking out for everyone, helping prevent trouble makers from abusing Wikipedia's open access.
     I have never added anything on Wikipedia, nor do I personally know anyone that has. However, because Wikipedia is able to be edited by anyone, with only a small percentage of people each contributing a little bit of what they know, Wikipedia now contains a surplus of information. This is just one example of how people as a group can make a big difference. No one knows everything, but everyone know a little about something. If everyone pitches in, a massive amount of knowledge can be accumulated. When we all work together we can accomplish anything we desire whether it be good or bad.
    People working together in a large enough group can become unstoppable. Large groups have been known to stand up to companies, and make them do what the people want. We have all had an experience when it just took that one extra person to get you to listen and take the advice. The more people there are the more influential they can be. This can be dangerous when the group's goal is unethical. For this reason, the government will always try to step in to prevent possible negative effects when they see people gathering with a common cause. The more people there are, the more difficult they are to manage. When you get a group together they have great power and there are unlimited possibilities.

Computer Science: A Feminine Discipline

   All throughout my life I have enjoyed and excelled in math and problem solving. This was the reason I initially considered mathematics and electrical engineering majors when I began college. I knew these were perceived as masculine subjects and that few of my female peers had similar passions, but these factors only encouraged me to pursue my goals. People thought I was really smart just because I was a math nerd and wanted to be a mathematician when I grew up. I enjoyed the attention and this only boosted my confidence. Because I was a minority regarding my fascination with mathematics, ever since grade school all of my teachers have encouraged me to persevere and fulfill my dreams. As a minority, I do enjoy the many benefits from being a woman in computer science.
   From what I have experienced, girls are intimidated by computer science and look up to women that are brave enough to go into this field. Because there are many other challenging majors which women are not afraid to take part in, we can agree that it is not the factor of computer science being difficult that scares women away. Computer science is misunderstood by many which makes it a scary subject to approach. Trying to get girls into gaming is not the solution. I have never been interested in video games or anything of the sort. It is the problem solving that I enjoy. Finding ways to get girls to become familiar with simple programming early on is a better solution for getting more women into the computer science field.

http://archive.cra.org/CRN/issues/0304.pdf
http://cpms-old.byu.edu/speeches/family-education-careers
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/business/16digi.html?_r=1
http://eusesconsortium.org/gender/
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CCsQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fciteseerx.ist.psu.edu%2Fviewdoc%2Fdownload%3Fdoi%3D10.1.1.95.812%26rep%3Drep1%26type%3Dpdf&rct=j&q=DePalma%2C%20%22Why%20Women%20Avoid%20Computer%20Science%22&ei=TZuzTLreKoeisQOx37yzCA&usg=AFQjCNHmZ1QHV0_ugH64A2qDh7o3oEwoSg&sig2=WP8JIFLGG5yDnhz9vgn_4w&cad=rja

Technology and the Gospel

  The Lord has inspired the development of technology to help spread the gospel throughout all nations. I often share my beliefs with friends, including those that may live far away, by posting links to conference talks or Mormon messages on my Facebook or blog. This way, people are exposed to what I believe and can find out more if they would like to. Mormon.org is another way people can ask questions if they are interested and find answers from real people like them instead of calling a random number on the back of a pass-a-long card. These resources are great improvements in the spreading of the gospel.
   Computers have simplified temple work, the building of church structures, the transferring of church finances, the viewing of church messages, and long distance missionary work. Through whatever methods the gospel is growing, Satan is finding ways to impede this work. Although technology has benefited the church in many ways, we need to be careful in how we use it. When using social media we must be sure that it is in ways that are uplifting, while having a positive influence on others. There is so much good we can accomplish through technology if we continue using it the way the Lord intended.

http://www.lds.org/ensign/1984/06/the-church-and-computers-using-tools-the-lord-has-provided?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/ensign/2000/05/thou-shalt-give-heed-unto-all-his-words?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/church/news/mormonorgs-redesign-connects-members-and-investigators?lang=eng
http://www.lds.org/church/news/using-social-media-for-gospel-purposes?lang=eng

Copyright Control Freaks

Imagine a world where you could never listen to music that you did not own. The odds are slim of you stumbling upon a purchase of an album you like without someone sharing it with you first. If our society never shared music with each other, the recognition of great singers would be a much slower process. In the entertainment world, the most effective way for something to become popular is by word of mouth. Similarly, if my friends could not show me trailers of movies they were excited to go see, I might never discover those movies either. Preventing people from sharing entertainment with each other would hurt the entertainment industry much more than the current situation already is.

   Honestly, there is not much incentive for me to pay for my own copy of all the songs that I like. I will either hear them for free on the radio, on Pandora, or on YouTube. Whether I end up with my own copy through a friend, or not, I would not have spent the money on it anyway. The difference is that I would get to listen to songs I like whenever I want and this may even allow more of my friends to discover that they like the songs also. This would cause a ripple effect involving more people going to a singer's concert or purchasing their products. Not enough people illegally create or copy products to keep performers from profiting. If people really care about having their own copy, then they know that the originally manufactured items have the best quality anyway. Those that are willing to buy their own copy of products will do so, and those that are not cannot be forced to.

http://www.ornery.org/essays/warwatch/2003-09-07-1.html
http://arantxa.ii.uam.es/~ssantini/work/papers/recent/s428_proof.pdf
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1197470&isnumber=26946
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1197471&isnumber=26946
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_control_of_ideas
http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/441/when-patents-attack